Saturday, January 30, 2010

29-year-old engineer Chris was shocked by how bold these monkeys at Forest Walk were, when they snatched a packet of yellow curry gravy from a passerby.

The STOMPer told STOMP about the incident which occurred last week (Jan 23) at about 1pm.

"The monkeys just snatched the yellow curry gravy from a person just enjoying a walk through the forest walk part of the southern ridges, furthermore making a mess of the place as it spills the gravy all over the bridge.

"Trekkers were scared and intimidated by the behaviour.

"Please don't feed the monkeys as it will promote aggressive behaviour to humans."

The long-tailed macaques (Macaca fascicularis) which are commonly encountered in our forests and nature areas may look cute and endearing, but they certainly can become a nuisance. Once they have learned to associate people with food, they soon find out that it is easy to intimidate, harass and bully people in an attempt to get them to surrender any edible items. Bags are stolen and ransacked, and one should never underestimate the possible damage a macaque may deal with its canines, not to mention the risk of disease transmission due to such close contact.

One does wonder; what on Earth was a person doing, carrying a bag of curry into the forest? The idea of an idyllic picnic in the woods is but a myth, and possible only in places where much of the larger fauna has been trapped, shot, and poisoned out of existence, or wisely chooses to hide away so as not to offend trespassing humans.

STOMPer Alyssa spotted this sporty bird catching the Youth Olympic Games while perched on the lamp post. She also said the bird looked intently from left to right and moves its head when the players miss a ball.

Says this STOMPer:

"This bird was caught sitting on a lamp post while I was waiting for the train in Yio Chu Kang.

"It kept looking right and left at the two mini tennis court. When one of the teams missed the mini tennis ball, the bird will move its head up and down.

"The bird did not fly away when the train came. I am glad that Singaporean birds are also supportive of YOG.

"Next time your train goes by Yio Chu Kang, remember to check out this cute bird. It sits there once in awhile."

And in other news, a feral pigeon (Columba livia) took a crap on someone's head.

In the first place, the inaugural Youth Olympic Games will take place only in August. What sort of fool looks at a casual tennis game and declares it to be a part of the Youth Olympic Games? I might as well point at the teenagers playing soccer at the school field near my house, and say that the match is part of the World Cup.

I once thought this post was one of the dumbest posts I'd ever seen on STOMP, but this one is a serious contender.

ED: Just noticed that the idiot who posted about the myna on the MRT track also went by the name of Alyssa. Should I be happy that such brain-numbing inanity appears to be limited to just one person?

Friday, January 29, 2010

STOMPer JoJo spotted what she called a smart bird, perched on the metal railings of the MRT train, hitching a free ride from Jurong East to Bukit Gombak.

Says this STOMPer:

"Have you ever take a train ride with a bird standing on the metal railings which was on top of you?

"Here is a smart bird who took a free ride to his desire destination. From Jurong East to Bukit Gombak."

I wonder if this Javan myna (Acridotheres javanicus) was distressed at suddenly finding itself in unfamiliar surroundings. I'm not sure if the distance travelled fell within the bird's usual home range; Winged Invaders states that the average home range of a Javan myna is about four hectares.

STOMPer Entomologist is concerned about the wide gaps found on the ground at Henderson Waves.

In an email to STOMP today (Jan 29), the STOMPer says:

"The other day I hiked from Alexandra Road to Mt Faber and the journey took me across the Alexandra Arch and the Henderson Waves. Near Preston Road I came across this beautiful rain shelter and decided to take a rest. However there were no benches provided and I had to sit on the floor.

"When I reached Henderson Waves, I saw several tall trees growing out of the ground and the trunks were surrounded by some wrought iron wire mesh. There were wide gaps between the trunk and the wire mesh.

"Children are curious by nature and I shudder to think what would have happened if a child were to step into the gap.

"This gap is an allurement for children and I hope it can be sealed up to prevent an accident from happening."

First of all, any parent irresponsible enough to allow his or her child to wander close to these holes unsupervised probably has no business allowing his or her genes to survive.

Secondly, I presume that the gaps are there so as to provide allowance for the tree to expand its girth as it continues to grow. While I'm not sure if it's an adequate long-term solution (will the tree ever grow to a point where its girth may exceed the space given?), I trust that the people who planned such features have taken a reasonable approach towards reaching a compromise; allowing the trees to develop and mature without having their growth excessively hampered, while refraining from posing any excessive threat to the safety of visitors.

Wednesday, January 13, 2010

STOMPer Arborist spotted this strange insect, with a black and brown stripe body, and wonders what it is.

He says:

"I took this picture at a coffee shop at Bukit Batok St 21.

"As I was enjoying my cup of coffee I suddenly spotted this insect on a chair.

"It has a pair of antennae and a body with black and brown stripes.

"The wings are black with many holes covered with a transparent membrane.

"It is able to fly like a mosquito.

"Can some entomologist tell me what this insect is?"

This is a tiger moth (F. Arctiidae). One of the most common species locally is known as the day-flying moth (Amata huebneri), although it is possible that there are several other similar-looking species found in Singapore. This thread from the Nature Photographic Society, Singapore (NPSS) Forums features a sighting of another tiger moth species, Eressa confinis, from Sungei Ulu Pandan.

Oddly enough, despite being so common, it does seem that there are no images of the caterpillars of our local day-flying moths. This site reports that the caterpillars have been recorded feeding on rice (Oryza sativa) in Java, although I suppose they actually have a much broader diet.

I did manage to find this photo of the caterpillar of a relative, the nine-spotted moth (Amata phegea), found in Europe and western Asia. The caterpillars of many species of tiger moth are densely covered in fine hairs.

This site and this site showcase several species of tiger moths found in Australia. Note that many species look very similar to one another, even those belonging to different genera. This particular group of tiger moths is classified under the subfamily Ctenuchinae, and also goes by the name of wasp moths, due to the superficial similarity to wasps seen in many species.

The conspicuous black and orange coloration of day-flying moths is said to be an example of aposematism, warning potential predators that they are poisonous or distasteful. As far as I know, this has not been studied in local species. Caterpillars sequester chemicals found in the plants they consume, retaining them into adulthood. It certainly would be very interesting to study the ecology of Amata huebneri, finding out what plants are consumed by the caterpillars, the chemicals acquired, the effectiveness of these compounds in protecting the moth from its predators, and exactly what animals prey upon this species.

Moths are a very diverse group, and compared to their more colourful cousins, the butterflies, have been somewhat overlooked. While butterflies in Singapore have advocates and champions such as the Butterfly Circle and the Butterfly Interest Group, no similar groups exist for moths.

It is true that a large proportion of moth species are drab and plain-looking, and that the nocturnal habits of many species deters most people from picking up moth-watching as a hobby, but that does not mean that moths are any less interesting or undeserving of attention. In fact, the Lepidoptera consists of 128 families, of which the 7 families of butterflies form only a single tiny branch. That's right, almost all lepidopterans fall under the label of 'moth', which is a darn shame, because it means that most of us remain oblivious to the sheer numbers of species of moth, as well as the dazzling diversity of colours and forms. Here are several sets on Flickr from Siyang, Marcus, Jacqueline Lau, Colleen Goh, Johnny Wee, and artour_a, featuring moths from Singapore and elsewhere in the region.

Tuesday, January 12, 2010

STOMPer Johnny Walker would like to share these beautiful pictures he took at Jurong Lake Park with fellow STOMPers.

In an email to STOMP today (Jan 12), the STOMPer says:

"These pictures were taken at the Lake View Promenade adjoining Jurong Lake. This picture was taken just before sunrise at 6.30 am and you can see the silhouettes of tall buildings and trees.

"The Jurong Lake teems with fish and when the water is still, you can see the reflection of trees in the water.

"The notice put up by JTC says, 'PLEASE KEEP AWAY FROM THIS UNUSED STRUCTURE.'

"The old jetty has been partially dismantled leaving the concrete pillars standing in the water. Instead of totally removing the old jetty, these pillars are now an eyesore. JTC should have removed the whole jetty.

"Some stray dogs are a menace to early morning joggers. As I was jogging in the park, these dogs snarled at me and kept baring their teeth. I had to use a stick to protect myself from these ferocious dogs.

Monday, January 4, 2010

No Monday Morgue for this morning, as I'll be going on a short hiatus while I'm hospitalised. For those of you who haven't heard, I'm currently warded at Tan Tock Seng Hospital, after I was stupid and careless enough to step on a hollow-cheeked stonefish (Synanceia horrida) on Terumbu Bemban Besar on New Year's Day.

You can read Ria's account of the trip and subsequent evacuation here. Kok Sheng also wrote about the visit, as well as my incident with the stonefish. Thanks to everyone for not panicking, and for doing their part to ensure that I received proper medical attention as quickly as possible. I am especially grateful to Marcus, Andy and James for sending me to the hospital, and for getting the paperwork settled while waiting for my girlfriend and sister to arrive. I also appreciate the kind words from everyone who sent their well-wishes via SMS, Facebook, and Twitter. The medical staff at Tan Tock Seng have been doing a great job of seeing to my needs and making sure that I'm well taken care of, and for ensuring that I'm on the road to recovery. And of course, my family and girlfriend have sacrificed so much to spend time with me here, trying their best to ensure that I'm as comfortable as possible.

Right now, my left foot is quite swollen and very tender to the touch. I am thankful that the sharp stabbing pain I felt at first has vanished. I suppose I'm already doing better than many other stonefish victims, since it seems I did not get a very large dose of venom, plus my friends were quick enough in getting hot water for me to soak my foot (heat denatures the proteins that make up the toxins in the venom). Still, the pain was agonising, and my current state of paralysis is nothing to be sniffed at. The doctors that examined me yesterday say that I now have a mild secondary infection in my leg. Hope it clears up soon; right now I'm receiving antibiotics intravenously.

I wish I had been crazy enough to take the time to photograph the stonefish, which was still sitting there among the coral rubble after I had stepped on it. Or that I had been more attentive to detail, and accurately noted down my progress as the venom worked its way around my system. Andy recorded some footage of the evacuation, as well as my reaction to the pain (lots of screaming and swearing), and it would be nice to use all this information to either publish a paper in a scientific journal like Nature in Singapore, or to create a documentary in the style of Anatomy of a Snake Bite.

It is quite a bummer missing out on all the shore trips I could have gone for, especially since I had really wanted to check out Pasir Ris to see for myself just how bad the fish mortality event was. Besides, it would have been an excellent opportunity to obtain a lot of new material for Monday Morgue. At least I have my iPhone here, so I can check the various blogs and read about everyone else's adventures.

Hopefully, I'll be discharged soon, and I'll provide more details about the incident. For now, all I can do is rest, and console myself that it was not an irukandji jellyfish (Carukia barnesi), geographic cone (Conus geographus) or blue-ringed octopus (Hapalochlaena lunulata). You can read the latest updates on my status on my Twitter feed.

Sunday, January 3, 2010

STOMPer Born Timid says he needs to say his prayers each time he crosses this ugly and messy overhead bridge, because it makes his blood run cold.

Said the STOMPer:

"These pictures were taken at the overhead bridge that spans Queensway near the junction of Commonwealth Dr.

"The bridge is overgrown with grass and creepers.

"Each time I cross this bridge I need to say my prayers.

"Since young I was diagnosed as ophidiophobic and arachnophobic and these creepy creatures make my blood run cold.

"I hope these creepers could be removed so that I have peace of mind whenever I cross this overhead bridge."

I'm surprised this coward hasn't died of fright by now. I'm also beginning to wonder if this particular person sometimes posts to STOMP just for the sake of drawing attention to himself, even if it only garners negative comments and flames.